05 December 2006

Pre-Budget Report by Gordon Brown

What should be in the pre-budget report?

Example one: the Irish wind power firm, Airtricity, is proposing a 10GW demonstration project -- enough power for over 8 million homes -- located offshore between the UK, the Netherlands and Germany. Has Blair heard about it? Yes. Supposedly, Blair has even discussed it with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Example two: The Guardian reported a few days ago that covering just 0.5% of the world's hot deserts with a technology called concentrated solar power (CSP) could provide the world's entire electricity needs. Europe would build a new high-voltage direct current electricity grid to allow the easy, efficient transport of electricity from a variety of alternative sources. The region could provide all its electricity needs by 2050 with barely any fossil fuels and no nuclear power. This would allow a 70% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from electricity production over the period.

Example three: Reuters reports that Brown is expected to raise some "green taxes" such as doubling air passenger duty which would raise an extra 1 billion pounds. He might also consider going back to the future and resuming the fuel duty escalator. But, if he does either one, let's see if he ringfences it. Any monies raised in such a way should go directly towards climate change projects (£100 worth of insulation in 10 million homes).

If climate change is an emergency, it needs to be reflected (get it, CSP, reflected) in the pre-budget report. It's time to think big.